AuthorTopic: Re: Fifteen Thoughts on Composition (Read 7052 times)

Thoughtful points, as always, by Alain. However, I sense a contradiction between Alain┤s thought #4, "What the camera captures is objective. What the artist sees and feels is subjective" and #11, "People, not cameras, compose photographs"..

Thoughtful points, as always, by Alain. However, I sense a contradiction between Alain┤s thought #4, "What the camera captures is objective. What the artist sees and feels is subjective" and #11, "People, not cameras, compose photographs"..

Cameras do compose images because of the aspect ratio which forces people to fit their image into the sensor size restraints. This has a great effect on composition especially if you don't believe in cropping.

Honestly - I believe 90 % of good compositions are the result of a mainly subconscious process.But reflecting composition and the things Alan mentioned will shape this subconscious process - intuition.I reflect a lot on my images, before capture and in postprocessing - just to improve.But the essence of the process, I believe I do automagically.So I read these kind of articles with great interest and then forget them after some time ....

Honestly - I believe 90 % of good compositions are the result of a mainly subconscious process.But reflecting composition and the things Alan mentioned will shape this subconscious process - intuition.

Good compositions are more likely than not a result of a prepared mind. And a prepared mind doesn't happen by accident. Alain's is a good ex post facto summary.

Good compositions are more likely than not a result of a prepared mind. And a prepared mind doesn't happen by accident. Alain's is a good ex post facto summary.

I'm not sure if you meant this as a contradiction or affirmation .... (/me scratches head)I just believe, that what you call "being prepared" becomes more and more a subconscious process, and that this is not by accident or arbitrarily.One might believe actions mainly controlled by subconscious processes are somehow "by accident", but that is not my position.I simply think in an artistic process believeing ones ego controls what happens is an illusion, but we can somehow shape the process, so to say.Still we can do something do improve, like reading and reflecting articles like Alans.And of course: Go out and shoot ...

Actually Charlie Parker said something similar about Jazz:

Quote

"You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail."

Honestly - I believe 90 % of good compositions are the result of a mainly subconscious process.

For some part, yes... but there can also be some conscious process (I'm thinking to Ansel Adams' "image management" eg), making Alain's list even more useful.

And if I can indulge a minor quibble (nous, les franšais, on aime ša... ) : couldn't be some kind of opposition between #6 and #7 on one hand, #8 on the other hand? (reminds me of a line in Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket : "I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir." - main character asked by his colonel why he has both a peace sign and "born to kill" written on the helmet)

I find when shooting I get into a zone where I am not thinking about what the elements of the composition are. Thinking about it seems to slow me down and kinda throws a wrench in the works and I stop following my instincts.